"Trying to regain the chancellor's favor, aren't we?" Amarant asked, cracking a vicious smirk.
Fratley could almost hear the sharpness of his wrist-mounted blades.
"Actually, I'm here at Queen Garnet's behest," he answered. "Treno has attempted an invasion of Alexandria, and word is spreading about Burmecia's involvement in the attack... Ulrich and Bishop are going to spark a new world war if no one stops them now..."
The dreadlocked giant seemed to hesitate for a moment.
"... So they've finally made their move..." he muttered to himself. "The question is: how can I trust you after what you've done?"
"Gizamaluke's Grotto is guarded by some of the mightiest dragonslayers alive," the knight countered. "... Don't you think that if I wanted to capture you, I wouldn't have come alone?"
"I don't know... maybe you believe you can beat me on your own..." the bounty hunter retorted. "... You're even dumber than your ex-wife, after all."
Fratley took a deep breath before answering.
"Look, I'm not here to fight you," he grunted, trying his best not to lose his cool. "All I want to know is why did Queen Garnet ask me to find yo-" the knight said, just before his ears perked up and he shot a worried glance at the sky.
"It's coming right at us, isn't it?" Amarant said, cracking a bloodthirsty grin.
The dragoon gulped.
"... That spike trap wasn't only meant for catching lamias, wasn't it..?"
"Nope."
"Are you trying to get us ki-?!"
KER-CRACKK!
Before he could finish his sentence, the mercenary pulled him by the collar and jumped off the branch as the biggest dragon Fratley had ever seen smashed through the canopy, drawn by the death screams of the lamia.
"An alpha..!" the knight uttered, staring in awe at the majestic beast; its golden scales glimmered intensely under the sun, wreathing the monster in a glorious halo. "Look at the size of that thing!"
"Less chatting, more slaying!" Amarant cut him off, dropping him safely on the ground before launching himself toward his quarry.
WHAM!
The beast howled in pain as the bounty hunter punched its swollen abdomen so hard, it made the forest itself tremble. The dragon staggered, nearly losing its balance, but it firmly planted its claws on the ground and angled the mother of all death glares at its opponent.
Without giving the creature time to retaliate, Amarant concentrated his chi into his fist and released it as a blast, blowing up a sizable chunk of its flank
"Your turn!" the dreadlocked warrior exclaimed, dodging sideways as the dragon vomited a cloud of paralyzing toxins in their direction.
"Whoa!" Fratley exclaimed, climbing a tall oak in a single bound to avoid the deadly fumes.
Enraged, the beast roared skyward and the heavens themselves seemed to answer its call; a supernatural thunderstorm formed above the forest, forcing the knight to leap off his perch seconds before a lightning bolt, wide as a pillar, split the tree in half like a celestial guillotine. Amarant, rushed in, trying to get back into striking range, but the dragon was having none of it.
"Watch out!" the knight shouted, but it was too late.
KRA-KOOOM!
"Amarant!" Fratley yelled as the would-be dragonslayer disappeared in an impossibly bright flash. A direct Thundaga hit was a surefire death sentence, and he was going to make the creature pay for destroying his last chance to save the kingdom.
Wreathed in smoke and ash, the golden beast switched its attention back to the knight and opened its maw, intent on using its breath weapon again. Utterly frustrated, an irate Fratley stood his ground, aimed the palm of his hand at the monster, and activated his Dragon's Crest.
"Father Berlioz, give me strength!" he roared. Purple lightning arced around him and the earth cracked beneath his feet.
As the dragon spewed yet another rolling cloud of neurotoxins, Fratley unleashed the massive swarm of souls contained within the seal. Dozens of howling specters effortlessly dispersed the noxious fumes and punched a large hole in the beast's neck, nearly decapitating it.
"I'm not done with you yet!" the knight bellowed, activating his Crest a second time. Ghostly chains emerged from his hand and pierced the dragon's heart, violently ripping its spirit from its chest. Once Fratley finished absorbing its immortal essence, the beast wobbled and collapsed lifelessly on its side.
clap... clap... clap...
"Bravo..." Amarant commented, startling the dragonslayer; with all the mayhem going on, he hadn't noticed him comfortably sitting on a nearby branch overlooking the battlefield. "... And I thought my methods were barbaric."
"But how-? When-?"
Sporting a nasty smirk, the mercenary removed his bladed gauntlet and raised his middle finger at the dragonslayer, revealing Freya's old Coral Ring.
"How in the six realms of Hel did you get that?!" Fratley barked, fists clenched and incisors menacingly bared.
"Looks like I know your ex better than you..." the bounty hunter sneered, nonchalantly readjusting his clawed glove.
The blond knight gripped his halberd so hard that it nearly snapped like a twig.
"Y-You know what?! Fuck you and your gratuitous jerkassery!" he finally exploded. "Just tell me why I'm here, wasting time I don't have with you!"
Amarant let out a gravelly laugh, his voice as rough as sandpaper.
"Relax ratboy, I'm just screwing with you," he said, jumping off his perch and landing near the dead dragon. He picked up a wooden log that he had left next to a tree and proceeded to jam it into the reptile's mouth. "I'm here doing a bit of research and also gearing up for a big job. I think you'll find it interesting..."
The dragon knight blinked dumbly at him.
"... what kind of job?"
The mercenary didn't seem to acknowledge his question. Instead, he readied a haymaker and punched the beast so hard in the chin that it bit the log, causing its venom glands to squirt their contents all over the place. The knight winced, feeling almost sorry for the giant corpse. Almost.
"You know? You could have simply massaged the side of its head..."
Amarant craned an annoyed glance at him and went back to filling vial after vial with the poison dripping from the creature's wrecked mouth. The Burmecian threw up his hands and began walking away, unwilling to further waste his breath on him.
"You asked me what kind of job I have in mind..."
"Let me guess... killing more alphas and making a fortune in the black market," Fratley huffed.
"Oh, you mean by selling these?" the bounty hunter replied, raising one of the glass tubes. "Nah... these bad boys are just the means to an end..."
Fratley raised both eyebrows.
"... Just how many people are you planning to slaughter..?" he asked, horrified.
All of a sudden, the mercenary's playful persona evaporated. Veiled by his scarlet mane, the stone-cold gaze of a killer pierced Fratley's soul.
"Come... I'll show you something interesting..."
April 2nd, 1820, Ginnungagap
Day: ?
Freya blinked awake in the middle of a dark coniferous forest.
She was standing, as if she had fallen asleep on her feet, but she had no recollection of when or even how had she ended up in the woods.
"Freya..?"
She opened her eyes wide and turned around in disbelief; Zidane was cautiously looking at her from a distance, as if he feared she was just an illusion. Much to her surprise, he looked well groomed and refreshed; the scruffy five o'clock shadow he had grown ever since the invasion was also inexplicably gone.
She gasped.
"Zidane..!" she exclaimed, quickly closing the gap between them. "You're finally awake!"
The Genome recoiled, prompting her to stop approaching him.
"What do you mean awake? Where the hell are we?" he asked, nervously looking around. "Wait... is that Brahne's armor you're wearing?"
Freya snorted amusedly.
"Yeah... it's kind of a long and weird story..." she answered.
"No shit..." he said, staring at Ginnungagap's utterly alien sky with an eyebrow raised.
"Oh... guess I've really screwed everything up this time..." Zidane commented, eyes fixed on the small bonfire they had improvised more out of habit than necessity. In spite of Ginnungagap's nice and warm weather, nothing soothed the spirit of an old adventurer like the gentle crackle of the flames.
"It wasn't your fault," Freya reassured him, absently fiddling with the leaf between her elongated, calloused fingers. "We're both cursed... damned since birth to lead violent lives and die as little more than the monsters we fight."
The Genome snorted.
"You really know how to lighten the mood, huh?" he joked, playfully throwing a small pine cone at the knight which she caught in midair without even averting her gaze from the fire.
"That's your darn job, monkey. I'm the pessimist here, remember?" she countered with a smirk.
"Entrusting your life and the future of Burmecia to a guy who has already tried to kill us once... who's also the son of another guy who tried to kill us, just because he said he would help us..." Zidane enumerated. "... sounds like an awfully optimistic thing to do, don't you think?"
Freya chuckled at the sheer absurdity of their situation.
"Well... I guess I just asked myself 'what would my bumbling simpleton of a dragon pal do?'," she retorted, gently tossing the pine cone back at her friend.
Zidane laughed.
"I'd give my tail for going back in time just to tell your snotty younger self that I've become your role model," he said with a shit-eating grin.
"If you somehow find yourself in the past, please refrain from omitting the bumbling simpleton part," she countered. "Lest you give young me a heart attack or something."
"Deal," the Genome concurred, sarcastically offering her a handshake. Much to his surprise, she rolled her eyes and humored him, thus sealing their 'agreement'.
rustle... rustle...
"Huh..?" Freya uttered, turning her head and searching for the source of the sound with a twitchy ear.
"What is it?" Zidane asked, standing up and looking around.
"Something's coming..." she answered, pulling a flaming branch out of the bonfire to use as a makeshift torch.
"Are you an ambush magnet or something?" he squawked, picking up a jagged, apple-sized rock and steeling himself for combat.
rustle... rustle...
"There!" the Burmecian exclaimed, pointing at a shadowy figure moving towards them.
"Gotcha!" the Genome exclaimed as he flung his stone at the silhouette with enough force to crack open a coconut.
TWHACK!
"OW!" the stranger yelled, losing his balance and hitting the floor like a sack of potatoes.
"That voice..!" the dragon knight exclaimed, rushing impulsively into the dark much to her friend's bewilderment.
"Freya, wait! It might be a trap!" Zidane shouted, but she completely ignored him. "Oh for fuck's sake..!" he spat, picking up another stone as he chased after her.
April 2nd, 1820, Popos Heights, Burmecia
13:45
"So this is where you've been hiding all along..." Fratley said as he entered Amarant's shelter; a small mountain cave hidden deep into the woods, surrounded by a makeshift stockade and barely big enough for him to walk into standing up. It contained nothing but a small fire pit by the entrance, a rudimentary bed made of logs and sturdy branches, and a leather bag hanging from a protruding rock. "Cozy..."
"Jealous, farmboy?" the dreadlocked mercenary retorted with a smirk.
"I must admit I was starting to miss the thrill of the hunt," the knight conceded.
Amarant slipped the venom vials into the hanging bag and pulled out a wrinkled roll of parchment.
"This... is why Garnet sent you here," he said, holding up the scroll.
"What is it?" Fratley asked.
"Can't tell you yet..." the giant answered. "You still haven't earned my trust."
The Burmecian rolled his eyes in exasperation. "And how should do I that?"
"I've heard rumors that your old bastard of a mentor has taken you under his wing once again," the mercenary stated. "Even if I generally dislike your kind, the intel he shared with me not long ago proved invaluable in furthering my cause."
Fratley sighed, having anticipated Amarant's request.
"I'm afraid he won't be able to vouch for my trustworthiness... not anymore..."
"Why?"
"Three days ago, Sir Wulfweard perished in a duel against Gunnar Ironhide, Ulrich's top enforcer..." the knight explained. "I'm in charge of his unit now..."
Amarant's face (or at least the portion of it that poked out from beneath his dense mane) slightly brightened up at the mention of Fratley's squad, but he refrained from immediately wording his thoughts, presumably out of respect for the dead.
"Oh... well, that's a damn shame..." he said in an unusually solemn tone, catching the dragoon off-guard.
"Yeah..." he agreed, lowering his eyes to the ground.
"Alright... how about this?" the bounty hunter proposed. "Introduce me to your team. If I deem them worthy of my time, I'll tell you what's inside this scroll."
"What if I refuse?" Fratley retorted, unimpressed. "Revealing their identities to a soldier of fortune doesn't sound exactly like a wise choice."
Amarant smirked.
"... Then you'll miss the chance to hit Ulrich and Bishop where it hurts and cripple their war machine in a single night."
Fratley raised both eyebrows at the giant's statement.
"All right... you have my attention..."
April 2nd, 1820, Ginnungagap
Day: ?
After stumbling in the dark for a while, Freya came across a semiconscious man in traditional Cleyran garb, lying splayed on the forest floor.
"Dad?!" she exclaimed when she realized that their 'stalker' was none other than Fridgeir Crescent himself. "Gods... it's so good to see you! Are you okay..?"
"Ouch... nice throw, pumpkin..." he croaked, giving her a shaky thumbs-up.
"Actually, that was me... I'm very, very sorry," Zidane sheepishly chimed in, having finally found the two Burmecians.
Fridgeir glanced back and forth between his daughter and the Genome for a moment. Having already jumped to the wrong conclusion, he climbed to his feet and enthusiastically shook the king's hand.
"You must be Fratley! Boy, I'm so glad to finally meet my son-in-law!"
An intensely awkward silence ensued as Freya's jaw dropped and Zidane's face contorted into the goofiest of grimaces.
"What..? Is it something I said..?" the spirit asked, giving the Genome a better look; his eyes gradually widened as he realized his mistake. "Oh! I'm so sorry, young man! I-I saw your t-tail and..!"
Zidane snorted.
"Don't you dare..!" the dragoon warned him, but he nevertheless burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "Stop it!"
"GWAHAHAHA!"
"Ugh... dad... this is Zidane Tribal, king consort of Alexandria and fellow veteran of the Mist Wa-" she explained until the king's flailing tail accidentally smacked her across the face. "All right, that's quite enough!" she yelled, grabbing the apelike limb and giving it a strong pull.
"Yowch!" the Genome yelped, cradling his sore appendage. "That's real mature, Freya!"
"Zidane..? The Zidane..?!" Fridgeir mumbled, staring at him in awe.
"Accept no substitutes..." he joked, winking at him.
"I-I'm honored to meet you, sir!" the Cleyran stuttered, enthusiastically shaking Zidane's hand.
Freya frowned; despite their lighthearted reunion, something just wasn't right about her father's behavior... or his all-too-convenient appearance.
"Dad... what are you doing all alone in the woods?" she asked, folding her arms. "Do you know this place?"
"Of course I do," he proudly affirmed. "Right now, we are in the middle of Myrkvidr!"
"Myrkvidr..." she repeated, incredulous. "You're kidding, right?"
"Nope," the Cleyran cheerfully answered. "Isn't it amazing, darling? The legends were true!"
"Umm, Freya..?" Zidane whispered, tapping the knight on the shoulder. "What the hell is he talking about..?"
"A mythical forest, hidden deep within the primordial abyss..." the knight explained. "We are in Mother Reis's domain..."
As soon as she spoke the goddess' name, the ground beneath their feet began furiously shaking and cracking.
"An earthquake..?!" the Genome yelled, covering his ears to protect them from the deafening rumble.
Fridgeir smiled.
"That, my boy, is the sound of the biggest secret in all of Ginnungagap being revealed!" he stated, seemingly unaffected by the violent tremors.
KRA-KOOOM!
A few miles away from their location, a gargantuan tree erupted from the ground, rising gloriously above the forest until the enormous glowing crystal that adorned its crown was perfectly aligned with Berlioz's celestial realm, Fólkvangr.
"No way... no fucking way..!" Zidane exclaimed once the earth ceased trembling. "I-Isn't that..?"
"Yes..." Freya answered, feeling a lump in her throat. "That's Cleyra..."
Author's note:
I just wanted to say thanks to all the people who are still reading this story! I'm sorry for taking so long to update... lately I've been having almost no time for myself, but sharing this wonderful journey with you is one of my greatest sources of joy =)
I hope you're all doing well! Stay safe and have a nice week!